Capsizing Her Billionaire Boss - Sarah Gay

Chapter One

Great is the art of beginning, but greater is the art of ending.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The sky brightened to a pale pink and blue as the salty ocean mist cooled Poppy’s arms and chest. She slowed her pace, causing her running shoes to suction to the moist sand.

Other than happy endorphin highs, her beach runs didn’t resemble her rural Idaho runs in the slightest. “We’re a long way from home, Charlie,” she said as they approached a man setting up a white pavilion for a beach wedding. ‘Twas the season. Two days ago, for Valentine’s Day, the beach had been overrun with multiple wedding parties.

Charlie jumped up and pawed at her leg, begging her to pick him up. Her spritely Papillion wasn’t much of a running companion. That wasn’t to say Charlie wasn’t a good companion in general. He spent most of his day snuggling in at her feet when she worked, keeping her toes warm.

“Almost half-way there,” she said with encouragement, staring out across the desolate beach in wonder. Rising at four thirty in the morning had been difficult when she’d first arrived in Costa Rica three months ago to start her job working for Kai Terrence, her cousin’s good friend.

“Worth it,” she said, picking up her pace when her endorphins kicked in. She reflected on how peaceful and silent, yet turbulent and roaring her surroundings were. The warm gentle ocean breeze balanced the clamorous waves. “God outdid himself when he created Costa Rica. Wouldn’t you say, Charlie?”

Charlie barked, then shook, causing coarse sand to shoot through the air.

“Ouch,” Poppy said with a laugh as sand pelted her legs. “Are you trying to get me to leave you at home?”

A thin man stepped out from behind the white pavilion. He held a bouquet of red roses in front of his face. “No. That’s why I’m here.”

Adrenaline surged through Poppy’s body. While her mind decided whether to run or fight, Charlie lunged for the man’s ankles. Poppy pulled back on Charlie’s leash while she sidestepped around the man.

“Down, Charlie!” the man yelled, leaning over and swatting at Charlie with his floral bouquet.

Poppy raised her eyes to the man and wrinkled her brow. “Kent?”

Kent opened his arms, welcoming her into a hug. “Sorry I missed Valentine’s Day. It’ll never happen again.”

Poppy’s right eye twitched. She swallowed down the lump in her throat and bit her lower lip. It took her mind a full minute to reconcile her boyfriend being on the beach, not sitting in his truck at home. It was as if her two lives merged into one. “You’re here,” she stated, helping her mind process the information.

Kent’s eyes dropped. “Aren’t you happy to see me?”

“Of course,” she stuttered out, taking the flowers and stepping into his embrace. Truthfully, she wasn’t sure what she felt. She hadn’t seen Kent in over three months, and she hadn’t given him much thought since, which seemed odd, considering they’d been dating for over a year.

He patted her back while he sniffed her hair. “Dang, I’ve missed this. I can’t wait to hold you like this every day.”

Poppy’s cortisol levels spiked. She stepped out of his hug. “Every day? Are you…?”

“If you’re asking if I’m here to stay? Yes!” he said, going down onto one knee. “If you’ll have me, Poppy Kennedy.” In his fingers, he pinched a silver ring inlaid with multi-colored stones. “I know how you love peacocks. This band is made with peacock ore.”

Of all the ways she thought she might be proposed to someday, or propose to her man, this hadn’t been one of them—squinting the morning sun out of her eyes, in shock, and dripping with stinky, salty sweat.

The weight of Kent’s proposal registered. Her chest constricted and her arms went limp at her sides, causing the floral bouquet to release from her grasp. Red petals scattered across the white sand, floating down the beach. “I…I....”

He held up one hand while his other hand slipped the ring onto her finger. “You don’t have to answer me today. When you’re answer is yes, we can pick out the perfect diamond ring. With all the craziness going on with the virus resurgence right now, my work’s allowing me to dial in remotely from anywhere in the world.” He stood. “I’ve moved to be closer to you.”

Poppy’s respirations quickened. “You moved here? To Costa Rica?”

“For you,” he said with a nod. “It’ll be like it was before.” He grabbed her hands and pressed them to his chest. “I’ve been lost since you left.”

A